Mikael_Guerrero_3059

In a world where nearly everyone awakens to powerful abilities at the age of fourteen, Ren Kisaragi remains powerless. Scarred by the trauma of his father’s death in a dungeon collapse, his awakening never comes, leaving him to survive as a scavenger—harvesting monster corpses to support his ailing mother and little sister, Yui.
Looked down on by hunters and ignored by society, Ren bears the weight of his family’s survival with quiet determination. But everything changes the day he encounters a forgotten creature deep within a dungeon. Marked by a strange symbol, Ren unlocks a terrifying new power—not from the world of light, but from the void itself.
As dungeons grow unstable and ancient threats awaken, Ren begins a dangerous descent—not just into the depths of the earth, but into the heart of what he truly is. Guided by pain, grounded by love, and shadowed by a power that could consume him, Ren must forge his own path. Not as a hero. Not as a monster.
But as the boy who refused to break.

Dungeons Scavenger:The Boy Who Couldn’t Awaken

The first time Ren walked on his own again, the city felt... different.

People stared, though they tried not to. Whispers followed him wherever he went. Even the guards gave him space. He looked like a stranger—taller, scarred, eyes too sharp, posture too still. But Yui clung to his side with a smile as bright as the sun, and for a moment, the world felt normal.

That morning, Ren visited home for the first time since returning.

The door creaked as he entered. Everything inside was exactly as he remembered: the faint smell of herbs, the worn wooden floor, the rustle of wind against paper charms by the window.

His mother lay in bed, thin and pale. Her breathing was shallow, skin nearly translucent in the daylight.

She opened her eyes slowly—and smiled.

He knelt beside her, carefully taking her frail hand in his. "I'm here."

Tears welled in her eyes. "You came back... I thought I'd never see you again."

"I'm sorry I made you wait," he said, voice trembling.

She reached up with weak fingers, brushing a lock of hair from his face. "You look so grown now. So tired."

Yui sat quietly in the corner, her hands clenched tightly in her lap.

After his mother drifted back to sleep, Ren stepped outside with Kaede.

"The healers can't identify the illness," Kaede said. "It's not magical, but it's not natural either. Some kind of slow, creeping decay. Eating her from the inside."

Ren stared at the sky. "Can it be cured?"

Kaede hesitated. "Not by normal means. Maybe not by any means."

Kaede looked at him, her voice low. "You're not the same anymore, Ren. Whatever you brought back from the dungeon—it might be the key. But using it again... it could change you more."

"I don't care," he said. "She gave everything for us. I'll give everything to save her."

Kaede placed a hand on his shoulder. "Then we'll find a way. Together."

Ren turned back toward the house. He looked at the window, saw Yui placing a cool cloth on their mother's forehead.

Even if it meant returning to the darkness. Even if it meant becoming something unrecognizable.

Chapter 12: A Promise in Silence